The recently rediscovered New Caledonian Storm-Petrel hovering over the slick at the Britannia Seamounts

Britannia Seamounts pelagic 31 March-4 April 2023

May 13, 2023

Some of the most exciting pelagics in Australia at the moment are the Britannia/Queensland Seamounts trips run by Paul Walbridge and Craig Newton out of the Gold Coast. They are the only trips in Australia to regularly get both New Caledonian and Band-rumped Storm-Petrels and Magnificent/Collared Petrels, and have turned up other incredible seabirds such as Bulwer’s and Herald Petrels, Swinhoe’s, Polynesian and Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrels and many others.

A surreal moment - seeing the ridiculously colourful Scarlet-chested Parrot at Gluepot nine years ago.

For the love of parrots

April 10, 2020

This Easter I give thanks for parrots. Oh parrot-God, thankyou for furnishing Australia with an excess of loud, colourful, cheeky, playful birds. Life is beautiful, life is never boring, when we have parrots in our backyards.

The rare 'idiot bird'

January 23, 2019

A few days ago, Chris Cook and I took the passenger ferry from Tokyo to Hachijojima and back, hoping to see the three North Pacific albatross species: Short-tailed Albatross, Laysan Albatross and Black-footed Albatross.

Lorikeet shenanigans

November 5, 2018

It was the perfect spring evening. We’d just made home-made pesto pasta and sat down to eat on the front porch. We are incredibly lucky to live on top of a hill with views out over Belconnen and to the Brindabellas in the distance.

The value of birds

August 1, 2018

Last Friday I wasn't feeling great. I was feeling pretty sad and a bit lonely.

Still, research had to be done. I found myself out in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, wandering around the bush looking for pollinators I wasn't finding.

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The view from the kitchen window this morning. Nature photography is a little different in 2020! #smoke #fires #climatechange #canberra

Those who’ve seen Rufous Bristlebirds know that they’re simply the best. Such characters.

I was recently asked to provide images of Red-kneed Dotterels for a sign at Jerrabomberra, and I had to go off digging in my old hard drives from way back in 2011. I’d forgotten that I’d spent a magical afternoon at Calperum Station with Red-kneed Dotterels coming almost within touching distance in beautiful sunset light. At the time I was out with @hoops.daniel helping him catch dragons near Renmark in South Australia for his PhD. . . #redkneeddotterel #southaustralia #australianbirds #ausgeo #canonaustralia #plover #birdsofinstagram #birdphotography #bird_brilliance

The lowly greenhood is quite an incredible orchid. It grows in central northern Victoria and flowers in November-December at a time when most other orchids in the area have died off for the season. It grows on soil which is baked hard by the hot sun and seems an inhospitable place for a delicate little orchid to be growing. Plus, it is rare and just looks damn cool! . . #australiannativeorchids #australiannativeplants #pterostylis #pterostylisdespectans #summer #orchids #ausgeo #canonaus #macro_secrets #zeiss100mmf2

The Campbell Albatross is the celebrity of seabird world. Well dressed, perfectly drawn eyeliner, audacious lipstick. Always ready for a night out on the ocean. #noeyelinerneeded #iwokeuplikethis #seabirdcelebrity #albatross #campbellalbatross #wildlifephotography #canonaustralia #annateenlyf

Sun. Orchid. Explosion! I remember this scene, 5 years ago I found this spotted sun orchid in beautiful Bush at Royal National Park. The last golden rays of the sun were hitting the back of the flower causing the most magnificent explosion of pinks and purples and yellows. . . #australiannativeorchids #australiannativeplants #sunorchid #thelymitraixioides #sun #orchids #macro_secrets #canonaustralia

So happy for the #hoiho to win NZ Bird of the Year, the first seabird to win. I feel incredibly privileged to have seen these gorgeous penguins on Enderby Island in the sub-Antarctics. #yelloweyedpenguin #forestandbird #enderbyisland #birdoftheyear2019 #penguin #subantarctic #seabird

A little bit tongue-in-cheek 😛 I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of how weird these plumed greenhoods are. The densely hairy labellum is probably involved in pollinator attraction somehow but exactly how is unclear. There is some suggestion dagger flies are involved in pollination (including a great set of photos by Rudie Kuiter) but evidence is still scarce. . . #australiannativeorchids #pterostylis #greenhood #ausgeo #orchid #australiannativeplants #macro_secrets #zeiss100mmf2